Car coupling



O. E. WILSON CAR QOUPLING Feb. 3, 1942.

Filed Jan.- 17, 1940 2 'Sheets-Sheet 1 O. E. WILSON GAR oo UPLI'NG Feb.3, 1942.

v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 1'7, 1940 PatentedA Feb. 3, 1942 vCARCOUPLING t Otto Everett Wilson, Peru, Ind., assgnor to Harold S.Russell, Chicago, Ill.

Application January 17, 1940, Serial No. 314,256

1 Claim.

My invention relates to coupling mechanism for railroad cars and more-particularly to the striking casting and coupler shank carrying andsupporting mechanism associated with the striking casting and involvingremovably mounted means whereby the coupler will be held in the `properhorizontal plane or at the standard height as required by the A. A. R.rules.

The invention also has for its object the provision 'of a strikingcasting and carrier iron formed to permit the insertion or removal ofcoupler-shank supporting elements without the necessity of dissociatingthe draft rigging or removing the coupler shank from the strikingcasting as, however, has heretofore been necessary.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined strikingcasting and carrier iron of general construction in keeping with presentday standard draft rigging construction and retaining the advantages ofsuch constructions, wherein the coupler-shank supporting wear plate isremovably supported by the carrier iron portion of the casting and isheld in place by interengaging relation with the carrier iron portion ofthe castingl The invention also has for its object the provision of acarrier iron having a socket or pocket extending lengthwise therein andof depth greater than that of the wear plate for the purpose ofreceiving wear plate and coupler-shank elevating element or elements;andthe outer walls of the casting provided with passages or openingsthrough which said elements or shims may be readily inserted in thepocket beneath the wear plate by simply raising the coupler-shank out ofbearing relation with the wear plate; s-aid passages or openings beingso formed that accidental removal of the elements or shims isimpossible, while on the other hand enabling said elements or shims tobe easily removed and replaced to either lower or raise the wear plateif occasion requires.

The above enumerated objects and advantages, as well as other advantagesinherent in the invention, will all be readily comprehended from thefollowing detailed description of the accompanying drawings wherein:

plate.

Figure 4 is an inverted plan View of thefor- Ward end of the casting andcarrier iron, with a, wear plate in position.

Figure 5 is a cross section of the forward or outer end of the structure(with coupler removed) and showing a wear plate in longitudinal section.

Figure 6 is a detail 'perspective view of a portion of the wear plateshown in' Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 7 is a similar view of a portion of a modified wear plate shownin Figure 3.

In the particular exemplication of the in- Vention as disclosed, astriking casting is shown atv I5, having apertured side walls forreceiving bolts or rivets whereby the casting is rigidly secured to thedraft sills (not shown) of a railroad car; the lower front end of thecasting being provided with an integral carrier iron IB formed ofsubstantial vertical and transverse dimensions and provided with asocket or Vpocket l1 which extends from end to end of the vcarrier,iron, namely tothe side Walls of the casting and is open at the top.

The striking casting and carrier iron portion thereof are formed toprovide the usual large opening through which the coupler-shank I8extends; said opening, in keeping with standard requirement, beingmaterially 'larger than the vertical and transverse dimensions of thecoupler-shank in order to permit the necessary movements of the coupler.

The pocket Il is intended to receive the main or body portion of a wearplate I9 and one or more fiat metallic plates or shims 20 on which thebody of the wear plate rests.

In order to enable the plates or shims 20 to be readily inserted in thepocket I1, I show the front wall of the carrier iron portion I6 of thecasting provided with a slot 2l extending from end to end rof thecarrier iron, and hence substantially coextensive with the length of thepocket l1, and of vertical dimensions slightly greater than thethicknessof the `shims 20 in order that the shims may be edgewiselyinserted through slot 2| and into the pocket; the slot 2|, intermediateof its ends, being preferably cut out or enlarged at 22 and formed witha downwardly and inwardly `sloping wall as shown at 23 in Figure 2. Thecutout 22 and its sloping wall 23V extend to the bottom of the pocketIl, see Figure 2, and permits the insertion of a proper tool whereby theshim or shims 20 may be raised and'withdrawn from the pocket Il or anadditional shim inserted beneath the previously inserted shims, shouldoccasion require. l

According to A. A. R. specifications, a predetermined distance betweenthe longitudinal axis of the coupler and the top ofthe rail must besubstantially maintained; a distance which cannot be as readily obtainedin the initial construction and assembly and which ordinarily cannot bemaintained during operation because of the severe shocks and strains towhich railroad freight cars and the coupler mechanisms are subjected.

With my improved structure, the required distance mentioned may beobtained and maintained by inserting one or more shims 20 in the pocketI1 thereby elevating the coupler shank I8, through the medium of thewear plate I9, to the required elevation.

The insertion or removal of the shims 2|) may be readily accomplishedwithout removal of the coupler shank by simply jacking up the couplershank sufficiently to relieve the wear plate I9 of the weight.

.In order to further facilitate the removal or replacement of the shims2|) I also show the bottom ofv the pocket H provided with one or moreAholes or opening 24, see Figures 2, 4 and 5.

These holes Z4 are suiciently large or preferably made oblong to permitfingers to be inserted and to lift the shims upwardly into edgewisealignment with the slot 2| so as' to be forced outwardly therethrough.The opening or openings 24 also act as-drain openings for the pocket andprevent the accumulation of moisture, cinders and the like.

It will be understood that the slot 2| is normally above the bottom ofthe pocket and above the top of the shim 2li-or above the tcp of theuppermost shim if more than one is employedso that accidental movementof the shim through the slot 2| is impossible.

The wear plate I9 is provided with the main body portion 25 ofcomparative thickness and of transverse dimensions to fit freely intothe top of the pocket I1, and the top longitudinal sides of` the bodyportion are extended to form the laterally disposed wings 2B whichoverlap the top edges of the carrier iron portion I6 and provide a widebearing surface for the coupler shank; a bearing surface of greaterwidth than can be aiorded by the carrier iron, as clearly shown inFigure 2; while the main body portion 25 extends sufficiently beneaththe top walls of the pocket to prevent possibility of accidentaldisplacement of the wear plate. Y

In order to meet the requirements of certain railroad oicials, I show amodified form of wear plate 21 in Figure 7, provided'with the main bodyportion 28, similar to that of the wear plate shown in Figure 6, havingthe upper longitudinal edges formed into the laterally extending wings29 and the outer longitudinal edges of these wings provided with thedownwardly extending flanges 30. The anges 30 are spaced from the mainbody portion 28 sufficiently to receive the front and rear walls of thecarrier iron IB therebetween; the flanges 3D`assisting in maintainingthe proper position of the' wear plate and in preventing accidentalshifting of the wear plate.

As previously stated, the longitudinal slot 2| in the front wall of thecarrier iron is arranged in a plane above the bottom of the pocket and,therefore, is apt to be slightly overlapped by the front ange 3|! instructures where wear plate 21 is specified.

In order to meet this condition I provide an optional method of shiminsertion, namely by providing the sidel wall of the casting I at itsjuncture with the carrier iron I6 with a slot 3|, see Figures 4 and 5,arranged in the plane of the bottom of the pocket I1 and of widthslightly greater than the width of the shims 20 to enable the latter tobe easily inserted endwisely therethrough after the coupler shank I8 hasbeen jacked up.

The side wall of the casting, immediately above and below the slot 3|,is provided with the parallelly disposed lugs 32 which are apertured toreceive a suitable holding element or Cotter-pin as shown at 33 inFigure 3 Where the structure is shown provided with the type of wearplate shown in Figure 7.

Where this method of shim insertion is employed, I'also prefer toprovide the opposite wall of the casting, coincident with the bottom ofthe pocket I1, with a small hole 34, see Figures 4 and 5, through whichasmall tool may be inserted for pushing the shims toward and through theslot 3| when the coupler-shank has been jacked up sufficiently torelieve the wear plate and shims of its weight.

It will be understood that the casting and its carrier iron portion willbe constructed to meet the specifications of the particular car builder,namely either with the longitudinal slot 2| in the front wall of thecarrier iron and with the openings 24 in the bottom of the pocket, orwith the slot 3| in the side wall, especially if the wear plate shown inFigure 7 is to be employed; although the structure maybe formed topermit either method of shim insertion to be employed and permit thesubstitution of either type of wear plate.

With constructions at present in use, in the event the coupler extendsin a plane beneath the standard height, it is necessary to remove theentire coupler and shank in order that a plate of suicient thickness maybe riveted or welded on top of the carrier iron-an operation requiringconsiderable time and labor which must be performed in the shops of therailroad and hence loss of the particular car in service; whereas withmy invention removal of the'coupler mechanism is-unnecessary and theproper elevation of the coupler may be quickly accomplished by simplyjacking up the coupler sufliciently to relieve the wear plate of theweight and then inserting one or more shims into the pocket,` beneaththe wear plate,.either by insertion through the elongated slot 2| in thefront wall of the casting or through the slot 3| in the side wall-anoperation which may be easily performed anywhere and without materialloss of time or requirement for any special equipment beyond the use ofa jack.

The'specic embodiments disclosedv as exemplifications of my inventionhave beenY described in terms employed for purposes of description andnot as terms of limitation as structural modifications may be possiblewithout, however, departing from the spirit of my invention as dened inthe appended claim.

What I claim is:

In a car coupling, a single piece striking casting provided with acoupler shank receiving opening and with an integral carrier ironportion socketed on its upper side to provide a pocket coextensive withthe coupler-shank opening, the front wall of the pocket beneath the topthereof having a shim inserting slot substantially coextensive with thelength of said pocket and sloping toward the bottom of the pocket, saidslot intermediate of its ends being enlarged downwardly to the bottom ofthe pocket.

OTTO EVERE'IT' WILSON.

